Ballast Point Expands Distribution to Colorado

David Eisenberg

Sep. 19, 2014 at 5:47 PM

Ballast Point Brewing will finally expand its distribution to Colorado, per an agreement with Elite Brands, the wholesaler announced today.

The first shipment of beers from the San Diego brewery is expected to arrive in the state before the end of the month. The company had intended to return to Colorado last year, which it had previously left in 2009, but was forced to delay its entry until its secondary brewing facility was built.

“We’ve been waiting for the right time to go into Colorado, and now that our new brewery is online, we can make that happen,” said Earl Kight III, chief commercial officer, in a news release.

Elite Brands will primarily service the Denver area in anticipation of the Great American Beer Festival, scheduled to begin October 2, according to company owner and president Terry Cekola. When a “steady flow of beer” subsequently becomes available, Elite Brands will go statewide with draft, bottled and canned packages of Ballast Point’s offerings, including: Sculpin IPA, Calico Amber Ale, Pale Ale, and Big Eye IPA.

“There is a lot of good beer being made in Colorado, so it’s a testament to us that folks are still asking for Ballast Point,” said brewery founder Jack White.

Ballast Point, which cracked the Brewers Association’s list of the 50 biggest craft breweries in the country, grew 86 percent in 2013, selling 88,204 barrels, according to the trade group.